Instagram vs. Your 360º Life

Ahhh. Hellooooo February! I felt good to write all that down yesterday. Remember Instagram is only one angle on a 360º life. There’s a lot you can’t see through a screen!  I had to send photos to a producer of our house today and omg I was like ‘ahhhh our house is a mess‘ and she said everyone says that. When you see that person post their oh-so-perfect living room, kitchen, office, remember it there’s a chance (a good chance!) doesn’t always look like that and there just might be a pile of stuff on the other side of the room. On the other hand, they also might find immense joy in perfecting their Instagram post because that’s the life they want to live. You never who’s is dealing with a death in the family, a cheating spouse, sick kid, putting food on the table, or just making their rent. Instagram allows us to build the reality we want to live in. If you’re lucky, you’ll follow some people who like to keep it real like Lauren (This Renegade Love) or Gracie (Edit 7 Mag). I try to keep it real but day after day, IG is less of a platform I love, ex… wo wo wo Instagram wtf just saw a 6-day old post like no. no thank you. — CASIE STEWART ☀️ (@casiestewart) February 1, 2018 There is no sense in comparing yourself to someone you see on the internet. Like, if Beyonce got a new car or house, you wouldn’t compare or feel bad you didn’t have it too. So, don’t do it! Live your best life. Work hard and be nice to people.  In other news, Instagram launched new fonts today. Just go to the screen where you add text and tap the top of the screen to get…

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I’ve Got No Roots, But My Home Was Never on the Ground

People often think short hair is low maintenance, it’s not. I  mean it’s quick in the morning on a daily basis but this short blonde hair is totally high maintenance. Through my partnership with Sassoon this year, I’ve had regular salon trips to trim my hairline and bleach + tone touchups every 6 weeks or so. The crazy thing is, I’m almost always just between having it cut or needing a cut. I wouldn’t change it though, this short blonde hair is something that makes me unique, stand out, feel good, I love it. I really love getting my hair done at Sassoon Toronto. Kimberly, who does my blonde is hilarious and I would love to have beers with her. She is also blonde, same age, has a beardy BF, and incredibly good at getting the perfect blonde. Last week 2 things happened that were super great but stressful. One, I learned never to change my blonde and two, was in a commercial shot by 1188 (Sean’s company!). At my Tuesday hair appointment, I told Kim that I wanted to go ash blonde. A little more ashy blonde, this on someone with long hair isn’t that big of a change. On short blonde, it is major. My hair is normally the ‘Baby Blonde’ you see below, ash is the light blonde in the bottom right. Big difference! SO, Kimberly did what I asked and gave me a beautiful ash blonde. When I sat up from having the colour washed, I was like WHOA. No. Omg no. I didn’t like it. To anyone else, it was a cool ash blonde but to me, I looked like someone with brown hair! I don’t know what I was thinking changing my look. I’m never doing it again, and the week of a shoot fml. The team at Sassoon, especially Kimberly were so cool about it and we gave it…

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Don’t Let Opposition from Mediocre Minds Hold You Back

I’ve always loved this quote and on my first draft of this post, the title was ‘That idea is stupid’ because those words were the motivation to write this story down. Also, I know there’s a lot of ‘fake’ Einstein quotes so I hope he actually said this! Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds. – Albert Einstein A long, long time ago I got a job at a Canadian media station. Most the girls there were not particularly nice to me. From what I gathered I was the weird internet girl and they didn’t like me. That’s ok, I’ve always been a little different and danced to the beat of my own drum. The boss I was hired by believed in me and my weird internetness. I was doing something unique and it was 2009, the start of mainstream social media. I was excited to learn from him and work together making cool internet as a team. Then he left for another job. My new boss had been there for a lonnnnnng time. Like before the internet long time. He was NOT into my ideas and along with the girls, thought I was weird. One meeting I suggested they put hashtags on tv screens while a show was on and he said “that idea is stupid“. Well, we all know how that turned out, don’t we… A couple years later I worked a full-time job as a Director at an agency. We were planning a big event for the launch of a new vodka flavour. I knew about this cool social media printer setup that would print any Instagram post with a pre-determined hashtag to a little paper that was also a sticker. I’d followed this company since it’s Kickstarter and knew it was finally available for hire. In…

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HO-HO-HO! Need a Holiday Jumper? I Got You!

I’ve been growing my collection of holiday sweaters for years. In honour of the holidays approaching and the ease of Amazon Prime, I’ve selected a few great holiday sweaters that you can order just in time to rock that holiday party.  Called on Sean to model some of the sweaters I ordered. Photos were taken using portrait mode on the new iPhone 8 Plus and my new millennial pink seamless background. Ho-Ho-Holiday Sweater Fun All three of Sean’s sweaters are from Amazon, the Cash Business Wreath, Braaaaap, and Go Jesus. I also ordered the Stripper Silhouette which is on its way lol. If you’re looking for something a little more feminine, I’ve included a few crazy print holiday dresses you’ll be sure to dazzle a crowd in. ?? Oh man, I can’t wait to bust all these out. [amazon_link asins=’B017W6N2DG,B01JOY84NM,B01JOY984Q,B0149YVTKM,B011MLDLB0,B0761S7JTY,B00QVM7ZJA,B0752H8RL4,B01JOY5KQG’ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’casiestewartc-20′ marketplace=’CA’ link_id=’91a8a9c0-c6a6-11e7-b035-d11afef75969′] I love digging out my hidden stash of holiday sweaters that’s been tucked away. One of my all time favs that you can’t buy was a gift from Target Canada years ago (RIP Target Canada). It’s called the ‘Together Sweater” and fits two people. Sean and I only wore it once to a party and did not last in it all night. It’s wool and super hot but totally fun. I love this stuff so much. Bring on the holiday cheer!  

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It Pays To Have Friends! Use Booking.com & get $40

Some people like aisle seats but I always pick window if I can.  I like something to lean on and I love staring out the window. Takeoff is one of my favourite parts. I love being on planes, it means you’re going somewhere! I’m deep in planning my winter vacations and couldn’t be happier, it’ all starting to come together!  I leave for New Orleans in 2 weeks, then for a big 21-day adventure in December. I can’t wait. Nothing like knowing you’ve got sunshine in your future! If you’re looking to get away soon, I’m sharing this link for you to get some $$ back on your accommodation. Use Booking.com and they’ll reward us both with a $40 CAD gift if you use this link. Once you check out of your hotel, the reward from booking.com  will show up as a refund on your credit card. If you have questions about how it exactly works, read the FAQ here. The Nice thing about booking.com is they have no booking fees, free cancellation (most rooms), and price matching. Also, if you haven’t signed up for Ebates make sure you do that before going to booking.com, you’ll get 2% back on your purchase! Their average cashback per order is $6!

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Finding a Friend in Yourself

The subway is kinda weird. I don’t mind the streetcar. I used to take TTC to work every day from Broadview station to Yorkdale, then a 15min bus to the office. It was my first job after university when I moved to Toronto. I remember writing TTC Tales on my morning commute and posting to the blog when I got to the office. On the way home I’d write about my day. I don’t think WordPress mobile had photo uploading back then. I used Picasa to upload and get a URL then added that to the HTML tab in WP-Admin. Those early days of blogging were what made me fall in love with journaling. I know it’s really helped me live a better life. I love looking back at people, places, things. It’s a great reminder of where you came from and good motivation for where you’re heading. They say there are all kinds of benefits to writing and keeping a journal. I highly recommend it. It’s kinda like finding a friend in yourself. Although my diary is public, I’m often writing letters to my future self, talking through feelings, or making memory notes. A couple years ago my mum & her bf sailed to the Bahamas and lived there for a year. During that time I would write a lot of notes to her so she could read what I was up to when she had wifi. Hi Mum! There’s a lady’s crotch fairly close to my face, she’s wearing a pager and reading a medical paper. Someone who really smells like BO just came near me. Thank god this is my stop. xo  

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Sometimes you just have to take a day for yourself.

Yesterday I had such a lovely afternoon. Earlier in the week I was looking my schedule and feeling overwhelmed. This entire month has been so busy. I’ve got a sore foot (long story) and decided to cancel attending an event I had planned for Friday. Then wen online and booked a couple treatments at Hammam Spa instead! I love it there because of the steam room. I can lay in that place for hours. According to Hammam it has been over a year since I treated myself to a visit. I arrived about 15 min early to leisurely get changed and have a few minutes to steam my stress out before my massage. It was so nice. After, I went back to the office to meet Sean and we took Emily to an art show. The artist, an old friend of his, Jonathan Craig was showing ‘Abell on Noble‘ photos of 48 Abell before demolition back in 2011, curated by Bridget Light. That building was a legendary space for so many people, a hub of artists, creatives, and other interesting characters. It’s condos now.  We picked up two from the collection. One photo I really wanted was sold but it said ‘NANCY IS A CUNT‘ on a wall in marker. Apparently, Nancy was the landlord and everyone hated her. When Jonathan went through the building with his camera and another landlord (man) they found the ‘message’. That landlord man from 48 Abell was also the one from Noble Street Studios, so when we walked into Jonathan’s show, he said ‘THAT ONE’S MINE’. Last night, when we got home, I watched Will & Grace on my iPad in bed, while scrolling my phone, eating snacks. Then I caught up o Young & The Restless and fell asleep on the couch.   Sometimes…

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You Are Alive, You Are Burning

I feel so alive today. I just got home from a great class at yoga. It was only me and one other person! We made coffee before and opened the doors to have class on the terrace. It was so nice. That’s for sure where all the energy comes from. I started a new notebook last night. You know that feeling? If you don’t. Get one today, open that first page, I always start on the 2nd blank page) Write something down! If feels so good. Feeling, what you ate, exercises, ideas, doodles, anything. Just write something.  Being back in the city is so nice. I took simple pleasures yesterday in walking 2 minutes to the corner store to buy lactose-free milk. Also drinking tap water. These are the little things I swear that make a truly happy person. Taking joy in everyday things will light your heart on fire and fill your soul with love. Wow, am I yoga drunk right now? I think so. Did two classes yesterday, aerial (at Whole Life Balance) and sweat (at YOGA YOGA). Silks yoga is so cool, check me out upside down. You do stretches and inversions and it is a good workout but you could for sure do it.   Upside down! Aerial silks class w/ @Futurpreneur. So fun. Want one of these at home. #MediaMatters #yoga pic.twitter.com/VkEhGLztc2 — CASiE STEWART ☀️ (@casiestewart) August 15, 2017 Anyone recognize the title song lyric? I listened to Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories, Tails album this morning. So many memories with it. I must have listened to the tape 8,000,000 times during junior high in my bedroom. Last night I lit this really nice candle and instead of a wax wick, it has a wood wick (say that 20 times!).  I wondered if it was Sandalwood…

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If you wanted to be a filmmaker, you’d be one.

I started watching a show on Amazon Video last night called I love D*ck starring  Kevin Bacon (as Dick) and Kathryn Hahn (Transparent, Bad Moms). She looks like an old friend of mine and it’s shot really well. It’s smart and beautiful. Creative. Sexy. Title is a quote from the show. A few of the songs are written and performed by Lhasa de Sela and I knew right away was her voice. I love her music, my two favourite songs are La Frontera and J’arrive a La Ville. She won a Juno in Canada in 1997. I feel like maybe I should stop this show and watch it with Sean but I’ve already got GLOW, Master of None, and OITNB on hold. FYI searching the hashtag might bring you up some interesting results.  “A married couple’s relationship is put to the test when both the husband and wife fall for the same male professor.” imdb

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A Look Inside The New Rexall at Brunswick House

If you’ve lived in Toronto for a while or went to uni here, you definitely have memories of the Brunswick House. That place was legendary. I lived in the Annex when I first moved to Toronto in 2005 and had a lot of crazy nights there filled with beer, dancing, and old friends. As our city continues to grow and change, a lot of old building are being torn down to make way for condos, lucky for this historic place, Rexall’s done a good job of preserving its charm and musical memories. Stayin’ true to the building’s history, Rexall worked with the City of Toronto’s Heritage Preservation Service and fully restored the building’s outdoor façade and a bunch of the interior. You’ll recognize the old keg barrel bar as the new cash counter. The chandeliers, mirrors, and signage are all original and you’ll find restored tin tiles on the ceiling. To celebrate the opening they hosted media & bloggers for the unveiling of the ‘Rexall Brunswick House Music Artifacts Exhibition’ curated by Alan Cross.  The Brunny was a music venue for over 100 years and they’ve got memorabilia on display from artists who played there including from Jeff Healey, K.D. Lang, Oscar Peterson, Downchild Blues Band, and Peter App. In other news, picked up some of these B12 strips I absolutely love. Been taking them for 2+ years now. There’s 2 in each package and they’re minty vitamins on ‘Listerine style‘ strips. Great for travel! Next time you need to run to Rexall, pop by the new Brunswick House flagship!      

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